Joseph Goebbels - Berlin - Jenkins, Jake - LibGuides at Ohio State University

Prime Minister of Propoganda

That day in Berlin, as the students gathered together saluting and singing Nazi songs, Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda, took the stage and spoke, “Jewish intellectualism is dead…National socialism has hewn the way. The German folk soul can again express itself…The old goes up in flames, the new shall be fashioned from the flame in our hearts” (BIRCHALL). Joseph Goebbels gave a speech to all those thousands of people about the new age, saying that as the old era burns, the new shall rise from the ashes.

Joseph Goebbels was a close follower of Hitler; he admired his works and ideals. His idea was to get into the mind of the young, having them believe in the rise of the Nazis, have them follow the regime of Totalitarianism, and many did. The Berlin book burning was one of the first acts that Goebbels had begun. The book burning was just the beginning of a cruel and devastating era. What follows the rise of the flames is a horrific historical event never to be forgotten: The Holocaust.

Joseph Goebbels was the son of a bookkeeper. In a devout Catholic home, his parents hoped that he would become a priest. However, he had aspirations of becoming a writer. He studied philosophy and literature, and earned a Ph.D. in drama. This educational background undoubtedly prepared him for the position he would ultimately obtain. His career as a literary writer gained little ground, so his writing found its purpose through speeches. He was very good at writing speeches and gaining the crowds favor. He wrote many speeches during his reign as Reich Minister of Propaganda. These speeches, along with his efforts in media control, immensely aided in making the Nazi ideology a prominent belief in Germany at this time.

The speech that Goebbels gave on the day of the May 10th book burnings was fueled by overwhelming crowd support as they cheered him on. They followed his speech with the Horst-Wessel song as the flames continued the crackle. On May 11th, Goebbels wrote in his dairy. "Worked until late at home. In the evening, I gave a speech outside the opera house, in front of the bonfire while the filthy, trashy books were being burned by the students. I was at the top of my form. Huge crowds. Superb summer weather began today." This was a horrifyingly successful day for Nazi Germany, and would be just the beginning of many horrible acts against anything, and anyone, that was considered "Non-German".